Pum Thai Restaurant & Cooking School - Patong — Restaurant in Patong

I think the place is lovely, great people there but the quality of the cooking and classes was a bit disappointing, I have done a diploma of Thai cooking in Bangkok and while waiting for my boyfriend to arrive from the airport I thought I would kill some time to do the 3 hour class. Keeping in mind I asked to do the course quicker which was not an issue I have at all, I just think they draw out the course too long (with eating with the others being a big factor on how long it will take for the course) and the quality of the Thai food. We made pad Thai, chicken cashew and mango sticky rice. I felt like I did 30% of the actual cooking and I think even for a beginner it was a bit basic. We read a book for what felt like a really long time where I learnt salt sweet sour and chili, I don’t think it’s so neccessary to focus on this so much but more on the food and being in the kitchen. I have made pad Thai and the method felt really dummed down. To make an omelette and then stirfry the rest and put in the end together. In the real Thai kitchen you fry the egg in the wok and push the other ingredients to the side. It was for me too basic and broken down and lost its authenticity in the process. I think if they go back to focusing a bit more on the art of cooking authentically it would be a 10/10 place.

The 28th was a different day I went in yes. I called the 28th in the evening to book the 4pm class on the 29th. I spoke with a team member to leave my things from 11am and come back at 4pm so I do not see how this point is relevant in your reply.

I mentioned that day that I wanted to do the class quicker yes. — Mainly because you used the time during the class after each meal to eat and I had explained I did not want to eat as I was waiting for my boyfriend yes. I was completely focused waiting in the kitchen but was asked to sit down and eat but I again mentioned I am happy to takeaway to eat with my boyfriend. I mentioned he would be arriving at 6pm. 2 hours after we began at 4pm, I did not set the pace of the course but the teacher, I just asked to finish by 6pm, I was open to shorter or up to 6pm (1hr sooner than the regular finishing time) none of this was stressful to me. I was not expecting all the items to be prepped so much that there was nothing to do in the kitchen but ‘wok’ side by side with the chef.

Where I am coming from and that I find really helpful in this review to suggest to implement is the following:

Teacher/Chef: does all the prep with the students (cutting the vegetables - demonstrating, discussing the produce) then he does the cooking in 100% demonstration with all the students watching. Course participants: then take their own ingredients for the recipe and do it themselves - effectively they are cooking/learning themselves.

I know it was just one on one so I can understand we worked together but I was hoping a bit more authenticity in the way to cook (to make a red curry paste from scratch - needs to be a paste) and I am sorry but there was so much you had prepared even the chopping the veg that all you had to do was cook so there is not really that much of a feeling you learn if you can see my point of view.

Perhaps this cooking studio does not want the students to prep curry paste and chop veg - but after doing ALL Thai dishes in my diploma - I would say that 40% is using a pestal&mortar to make a paste, 40% is chopping and using a wok and 20% is learning. I want to say I am wrong but I have a diploma now to show it.

I think the business is great but in my review I would suggest that. Wishing you the...

Not a good cooking class. Very elementary, for beginners. I would estimate that the ingridients would cost at most 200 thb. I explained ahead that I am vegan and they said it is fine and have substitutes. Paid the 1700 thb and the 100thb asked for the ride from my hotel and back. Which was meant to be private ride as I understand. The class was supposed to last 3 hours. The ride was nice. Had a chance to speak to the lady who later taught the class. It is a wonderfull facility that they have. First we sat down and had to wait a lady that was part of our group having the course. This ate into out time 10 min for sure. Then we started with things that were so elementary like how to say hello and pure silliness. I was asked to choose 3 dishes. I know thai cuisine. The dishes offered were so simple and you feel free to judge the pictures I have attached. I have been to 2 other courses and there is no way can compare the experience.

There was a couple in my group of only four which looked like they were having an average time. At the end they were asked to pay the bill 200thb more than first agreed. The man had a picture of the agreed price on a paper signed by the in-between person, agent. So he paid only as much me even though his ride home took way longer. They went into the car to leave. Nobody asked them how they liked it or anything. Before the car drove of they decided to put me in the car as well. I told them to drive off cause I wanted to tell the nice lady that I didn't have a good time, even after paying the full price. The lady was smiling and replying at my disappointment and telling her it was not a good experience just saying "so?". I told her not tell people that this can be a cooking class for vegans as well if they cannot prepare for vegans. Putting tofu in every dish doesn't make it vegan.

Finally it felt like a scam. The class lasted 2 hours and 10 minutes tops including all the eating and talking about things not related to cooking. People were rushed in and out of the place. In the beginning they had a loud class leaving and at the end they already had a loud class next to us. I felt so disappointed that after telling my teacher how disappointed I was and paying for the class and ride back to my hotel I needed to clear my head and walked to my hotel. They took pictures of us so we wouldn't have too. I was promised pictures but I have not...

The prices of the cooking lessons are a bit pricey, even for off peak season (May) whereas other tourist activities are a lot cheaper/highly discounted.

So we went for the cheaper option of cooking 2 dishes in 45 minutes. The cooking instructions were clear. The ingredients were all measured for you before the lesson begins so all you had to do was wok. Our cooking stations were a bit tightly packed together, it made me feel a bit unsafe as the hot plates were so close together we could accidentally burn our neighbours, there were 2 rows of 5 but there was only 4 people cooking so it could have been arranged to be a little bit more spacious. Though having said this, no one got hurt so my worries might be over worrying.

Our option meant that we didn't walk to the banzaan market to get to better know the ingredients. We decided we could do it in our own time. The list recipes we selected from was quite small, there were about 10 options. Nevertheless, it contained very popular (and not too basic) dishes such as green chicken curry and pad thai.

The chef outfits we were given added a bit more glam. So all in all my husband and I felt our although quick time there was very rewarding and cant wait to show off our cooking to our...